The Oscar-winning filmmaker Neil Jordan returns to fiction with a haunting, highly praised novel, his first in ten years. Narrated by the ghost of ...
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Feb 29, 2008
Kirsten
rated it: 
From the description on the back of this book, it sounds like The Lovely Bones, but it's really not. Yes, there's a murder, yes, the spirit of the woman murdered has some awareness of what occurs after her death. But in reality it begins with a murder, then narrates the events leading up to it. It's more truly a literary novel about love, lust, and thwarted passions of all kinds.
I enjoyed it, but I've only given it 3/5 because it's one of those novels that constantly reminds the read More...
I enjoyed it, but I've only given it 3/5 because it's one of those novels that constantly reminds the read More...
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Jun 15, 2011
LG
rated it: 
The blurb promised exactly the kind of thriller I would enjoy: return to childhood mysteries, brutal murder, heroine trying to make sense of it all. As usual, the blurb lied. Or, at least, it was obviously written by someone who had read only half of this novel.
The other half, which insinuates itself in the midst of the narrative, is made up of a patchwork of voices: the dead heroine’s, the half-brother’s, the friend’s (sister to the murderer). The result is a beguiling story that d
Aug 30, 2011
Kate
rated it:
I bought this book as a first edition paperback, read a few chapters and abandoned it as too difficult to get into.
So, almost a decade later, I found it on my shelf and tried it again. It is ridiculously hard to follow part I, because of the dual narration from the same character at two points in time. The book isn't plot driven, it's a study in four characters (although Janie, of the foursome, is left to founder somewhat).
I'm a fast reader, but the density and complexi More...
So, almost a decade later, I found it on my shelf and tried it again. It is ridiculously hard to follow part I, because of the dual narration from the same character at two points in time. The book isn't plot driven, it's a study in four characters (although Janie, of the foursome, is left to founder somewhat).
I'm a fast reader, but the density and complexi More...
Jun 07, 2011
Lynyrd
rated it:
Ireland, 1950. Nina Hardy wakes in the big house where she grew up. Now aged fifty, she has returned to the fading beauty of her old home, and its unkempt gardens, its views of the wild Irish Sea, and its long-buried memories. With her childhood friend George, she is seeking peace from a turbulent world. But by the end of the day, a brutal crime will have been committed, which will alter their lives forever.
Hmmn where to start... This is a book that left me very mixed. The writing is More...
Hmmn where to start... This is a book that left me very mixed. The writing is More...
Aug 30, 2010
Lynne
rated it: 
This is one of those books that people love to say they've read and that they love it and it's all very clever. I read it for a book group and didn't love it at all! It was rambling in parts and I had to reread them to try and understand them which I ultimately didn't so skipped them. The story could've been so good but wasn't - I didn't enjoy the style of the writing, there were random sections that didn't really seem to tie in with the story and you find out what happens at the beginning of
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Apr 06, 2008
Janet
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I loved the story or at least the concept of the story. I did not love his telling of the story. The writing itself is good at times - Jordan is a director as well as a writer so scenes are descriptive and provoking - and staged. The book is just so confusing. It seems that everyone has more than one name, especially the main character, Nina (or Dolly or Hester or whoever she may be at any given moment.) The story is told from everyone's memory of the same event - so one minute you're in th
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Oct 31, 2011
Vickguns
rated it:
I got through this book, but was in no way impressed by anything in particular. I found it all a bit wishy washy, and although I could picture the characters, I couldn't see their faces. The same with the landscape, I was seeing it all through a veil, which perhaps was the point? But I like to be fully trasported into a book and I want to feel like I could write a letter to the characters and get a letter back. I finished this book and went straight into another without a second thought.
Jul 07, 2009
Carol
rated it: 
Shade tells the story of a group of childhood friends - as narrated by the ghost of Nina, who has been murdered by George at the beginning of the novel. We then learn how they came together, in a world of innocence and beauty, and the forces that tore them apart. In this gorgeous, intense book,Neil Jordan proves that he is just as brilliant at writing novels as he is at writing and directing films.
Jan 12, 2011
Zarah
rated it:
So so so many details, at first I couldn't understand why, but towards the end every detail seemed relevant. I was extraordinary. I loved it. I couldn't see the "why" part of the murder until later on so it kept me reading until I figured it out.
It took me a very long time to read thought because I'd get into it and then stop reading and not get back into for days.
It took me a very long time to read thought because I'd get into it and then stop reading and not get back into for days.
May 13, 2009
Jesse
rated it:
The first novel I've read by director Jordan (The Company of Wolves, The Butcher Boy), a ghost story where the twist is beneficially detailed at the very beginning. This leads to the novel itself being more a tragic drama with some neat supernatural elements. The characters, events, and setting often serve as a microcosm of Ireland in the first half of 20th century, and I'd highly recommend the work to anyone interested in that age and locale. Quite beautiful, if a little rough around the metaph
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May 17, 2009
Diane
rated it:
A woman, murdered by a childhood friend, returns from the grave to haunt herself. She narrates her own life and brings a bittersweet knowledge to that which she observes. Excellent novel including visions of Ireland in the early days of the 20th century, WWI, the theatre scene, and how childhood relationships stand the test of time.
Mar 27, 2011
Sandra
rated it:
it was a good book,a little hard to follow in parts,it was sad but Jordan paints a picture of childhood innocence and describes the era and the location so well you feel like youre there.Its my first novel by Jordan so i think i would probably read some more of his work.
Aug 04, 2009
Jansie
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very hard to get into and follow - " Shade. Of a bat's wing, of a sycamore at noon, of an ash in thin moonlight, in the biggest shade of all. Nightshade. Shade of what I was. I am that oddest of things, an absence now. A rumour, a shade within a shadow, a remembrance of a memory, my own. A stray dog forages with my wellington boot, buries it in the potato patch, digs it up again, buries it again."
May 21, 2011
Marport
rated it: 
Using the ghost of the main character was an interesting technique and, as bizaare as it sounds, actually worked well. I was engrossed from the start. The characters and their relationships are interesting and the impact of passion, obsession and betrayal upon them ultimately reveals all. I became an obsessive reader!
Jul 13, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
Amazing writing - very puzzled as to why this didn't win the Man Booker prize. Jordan is so much more than screenwriter (The Crying Game, Etc...)
Big thumbs up!
Big thumbs up!
Dec 09, 2010
Manda
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I enjoyed parts of this book more than others as I found some of the switches between characters confusing. Overall a very interesting read.
Feb 26, 2009
Jenn
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The book is beautiful. Jordan's use of language is awe-inspiring. Hands down one of the best books I have ever read.
Nov 17, 2011
A librarian at Salt Lake County Library Services recommended this one to me on Book Recommendation Day!
Apr 23, 2010
Kathy
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Deeply imaginative,sad, funny. Beautifully written. I shall look out for more by this author.
Apr 18, 2010
Michelle
rated it:
Read for "Contemporary British and Irish Fiction," English capstone seminar, SP10 (Mary Smyth).
May 30, 2011
Samantha
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I found the premise of this book very intriguing. However, as I started to read the book I was a little disappointed. The dialogue throughout most of the book is unbelievable, most adults don't talk like that let alone children. I found it hard to identify with the characters, and throughout most of the book just wished the story would end already. About three quarters of the way through the book I found it enjoyable again. Though the story didn't live up to my expectations Jordan's prose t
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Oct 28, 2009
Jen
rated it:
I really really wanted to finish this book, but I couldn't. The summary of this book sounded so good, but I just couldn't get into it. I never looked forward to reading it and I was always waiting for something big to happen. Very slow read and I couldn't even finish it. I guess it would suck for me if it got really good after the first 100 pages because I just couldn't make it past that!
Jul 18, 2007
Lara
rated it:
Jordan certainly has a talent for beautiful prose and paints a vivid landscape in this novel. Unfortunately, I found the jumps in time and narrative voice confusing, and the parts of the book that glowed served to magnify the more stagnant portions.
Nov 23, 2007
Jessica
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Although the dialogue was a bit too poetic for children speak, too many Shakespearean observations and ten dollar words, I thought the story was engaging enough to allow for a bit of writer's fantasy. A little slow, but a good read.
Jun 21, 2008
Dale
rated it:
A superior use of the same metafiction device (narrator is "speaking from the grave") as "The Lovely Bones." Give Bones a pass and read "Shade" instead.
